I photographed Sam’s ND Miata a few months ago at the annual Artomobilia street event in Carmel, IN. I have seen the progress on this build over the years, running into the car repeatedly at cars and coffee events, and following the build over social media. Recently, Sam took the build to an entirely new level of ambition. Finally seeing the car in person, it’s even more crazy than I could have imagined.

As a ND Miata owner myself who has dipped my toes into some somewhat serious modifications, Sam’s Miata is like a Gundam robot compared to mine. I don’t know exactly what his vision for the car was at the beginning of his build journey, but damn do I love how far off the deep end this has turned out. Walking up to the car, the huge rear wing, extra wide bolt-on fenders and maxed out track width look absolutely insane on such a small car. The wheelbase is practically a square, reminding me of cars like the Lancia Stratos.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that while I photographed the car, every single person walked past with a huge smile, and said something to the extent of “that’s f****ing crazy”.

Maxed out, maniacal, detailed.

**The look:**

The step to widebody involved extensive modifications to the car, and Sam included some pieces that make a bold statement. The carbon fiber widebody kit and wing are are from Pandem (TRA-Kyoto), a Japanese manufacturer specializing in JDM aero kits. The kit mixes smooth curves with abrupt cut-in angles exposing the face of the tread for a brutal look. The hood and trunk are carbon fiber too, matching the massive wing and fenders.
Sam went for custom, 4-spoke, gloss black, 3-piece ESR wheels (my favorite touch on this build). They are wrapped in 235/40 17 tires at the front and 255/40 17 in the rear. The car sits on TEIN coilovers with active dampers, all on a Stanceparts air cup lift system. This isn’t just slammed -it’s a well thought out functional performance suspension setup to achieve an absolutely brutal look.
Up front, the Carbon Miata grille (same as the cup car) meets an aggressive slanting lip. Headlights by 4K Custom feature a hexagonal look which carries over to the rear monochromatic tail lights. Around back, a twin-exit exhaust sits within an modified bumper. Adorned by the black birds in flight decal that has followed the build all along its journey, the car feels like a true passion project, more than the sum of its parts.

**The guts:**
What would already be a complete build for many, Sam’s Miata is much more than its stance.
Working with Indianapolis based shop, Renn Sport Performance, dedication to detail has paid off. Under the carbon fiber hood, the stock aluminum block 4-cylinder is mated to an Edelbrock supercharger. The lower compression internals are all forged, with modified camshafts.
Up front, the engine breathes through a custom HKS 3D printed, carbon fiber intake. The front of the car is supported by a tube frame bash bar. The fender and intercooler attach to a tube-built front bash-bar. The car’s transmission has been fit with a CAE short shifter, and is attached to a carbon shaft by The Driveshaft Shop. The rear axle houses an OS Giken tuned LSD.
Inside, a custom black alcantara and leather steering wheel sits front and center of black leather seats with white piping.

Not pictured in my photos (installed on the car after Artomobilia), Sam developed and 3D printed his own brake cooling ducts that fit into the lower DRL spots in the fender. This build is detailed, and incredibly executed. Check out Sam’s Miata and other builds at his Instagram account.